brother expecting soon. contemplating a DSLR+lenses

[ambuletz]

So my brother and his wife are expecting soon (within the next few weeks, yay).

He used to own a DSLR however this was stolen. He's into taking pictures and knows more than the average joe (as do i).
So I'm pondering on perhaps buying them a DSLR bundle which they can both use (but it will be mainly my bro). something along the lines of...

body
kit lens
prime


OR
body
zoom lens
prime.


on the other hand i'm thinking perhaps maybe an instax/instant/polaroid camera for that retro feel that polaroids give.
To a lesser extent some kind of quality compact camera, but I doubt this will inspire him as much.

Can anyone lend any thoughts?
i'm leaning heavily towards getting a DSLR, because that's what my brother misses the most. If there are any great deals floating about that would be greatly appriciated.

Budget= max 500GBP. the less the better though.

Edited by ambuletz on Saturday 17th August 11:09

[dc2rr07]

Do you know if he has any lenses still from the camera that was stolen as that could be a base point to purchase a camera to match, just a thought.

[ambuletz]

dc2rr07 said:

Do you know if he has any lenses still from the camera that was stolen as that could be a base point to purchase a camera to match, just a thought.

nope. he has none.

for reference he used to have the following

Nikon d70s
+18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom NIKKOR


after speaking with him i'm now actually quite set on getting them a DSLR now. that lens seems good. but i have no idea how much they cost. a lens like that would be good, plus another prime i feel...

my thoughts are to either find a bundle similar (modern day) to what he had. or better. with emphasis to fast primes. im aware the camera he had came out in 2005, so even an entry level camera today will still be superior (it's all about the lenses)

Edited by ambuletz on Friday 16th August 23:39

[dc2rr07]

I usually just read the reviews and see what comes out top within my budget so unfortunately I am not the best person to give advice on what to purchase but if you let everyone know your budget there will be some one on here who will have a lot more knowledge than me who will be able to help.

[SCEtoAUX]

If this is for them to carry around with the new baby I wouldn't bother. Just buy them a nice compact. Plenty to choose from at every budget.

[HarryW]

If retro looking is important and 4/3 is acceptable then the Olympus OMD10 is a nice bit of kit.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

imho sony rx100 va or vi better than a dslr for a kid.

With a dslr compared to mirrorless you will have poorer af much less af points, slower, lacking eye tracking etc.
with a kid that wont stop moving you need good af

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Saturday 17th August 09:49

[Tony1963]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

imho sony rx100 va or vi better than a dslr for a kid.

With a dslr compared to mirrorless you will have poorer af much less af points, slower, lacking eye tracking etc.
with a kid that wont stop moving you need good af

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Saturday 17th August 09:49

And this week’s award for Horrible to Read Post goes to...

[Trustmeimadoctor]

i agree it doest read very well

[Tony1963]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

i agree it doest read very well

[ambuletz]

Not sure I'd want to get a compact, i figure at least with the DSLR the lenses can be kept and body changed if he ever wants to.

I've come across the following deal, which seems ideal. any thoughts on it? comes with a nifty fifty too.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8366904

the only thing is trying to get a lens similar to the 18-70mm he used to have.. i suppose he could buy that himself. I know nothing any mirrorless cameras that might be worth considering for a similar price point.

edit.

I've also found canons M100 with two lenses

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9181236

I'm a little confused on why the lens is 15-45mm when the sensor size is the same as the above DSLR?

Edited by ambuletz on Saturday 17th August 13:34

[lowdrag]

I've used Nikon DSLR's for 40 years and currently have the following:-

D3
D7000 backup (bought S/H for £250)
12/24
35/70

And loads more. If family photos (lots indoors when the babe is born) wide angle and a flash would be obligatory, and don't necessarily think just Nikon (or Canon) for the lenses. The Sigma 17-70 f2.8 would be an ideal starting point. and around £250 too. Used? Another thought to get value for money. I'm not really up to date on the latest models since i'm retired and have no need to update my D3 nowadays,but my D7000 is a little cracker too, and lighter to boot.

Being honest, I find that the majority of people who buy a DSLR have no real idea how to use it and just leave it on automatic. Talk of aperture and shutter priority leads to rolling eyes, and there is no point in discussing depth of field and manual settings - ever. In which case A Sony RX10 with a 24-200mm lens might well do the trick.

The more you go into the subject the more complicated it becomes, but I hope that this has helped and not confused you!

[ambuletz]

Hasn't confused me at all. We're not most people though, more than most (and wouldn't be someone who just buys a DSLR to have it on full auto). He used to own a DSLR but lost it.. so to get him a new one seems to have more meaning to it.

I've decided now that i won't try to get him an expensive lens (17-70mm), he can have a kit lens+ prime, or kit lens+ slow tele zoom. he could then buy his own lenses later. i'm not looking to buy used either, new preferred.

After thinking about it (and using the above two argos deals as an example) i'm now wondering whether a DSLR or mirrorless would be better. on paper that mirrorless camera is superior. my only concern is how easy it is to find lenses, and if they're more expensive than DSLR equivalents. the DSLR seems more rounded/versityle option, purely based on the fact they've been around for ages, so you'll find many lenses for them. The only concern I have on the 4000d is it's plastic mount..

[C&C]

ambuletz said:

Not sure I'd want to get a compact, i figure at least with the DSLR the lenses can be kept and body changed if he ever wants to.

I've come across the following deal, which seems ideal. any thoughts on it? comes with a nifty fifty too.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8366904

the only thing is trying to get a lens similar to the 18-70mm he used to have.. i suppose he could buy that himself. I know nothing any mirrorless cameras that might be worth considering for a similar price point.

edit.

I've also found canons M100 with two lenses

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9181236

I'm a little confused on why the lens is 15-45mm when the sensor size is the same as the above DSLR?

Edited by ambuletz on Saturday 17th August 13:34

I'm not commenting on which actual camera you should go for, although if he liked his Nikon, it may be a good idea to stick with another Nikon. I certainly know that when looking to change to either Nikon or Canon a few years ago (due to lack of Minolta lenses at the time), I didn't have any pre-conceived ideas, but on handling both equivalent models (and borrowing a friends Nikon D300 at the time), I decided on Canon as it just felt better to me, and I got on better with the menus and controls. Others obviously get on better with Nikon.

[lowdrag]

[quote=C&C]

I'm not commenting on which actual camera you should go for, although if he liked his Nikon, it may be a good idea to stick with another Nikon. I certainly know that when looking to change to either Nikon or Canon a few years ago (due to lack of Minolta lenses at the time), I didn't have any pre-conceived ideas, but on handling both equivalent models (and borrowing a friends Nikon D300 at the time), I decided on Canon as it just felt better to me, and I got on better with the menus and controls. Others obviously get on better with Nikon.
[/quote]

And for me, since my camera gear was stolen at a JDC day many moons back, I tried out both Canon and Nikon for a new DSLR. Perhaps because I had always had Nikon, I found that the Nikon felt better in the hand and easier to change the settings. Even though in the day Canon were miles ahead of Nikon that is what I chose.

[ambuletz]

only issue with nikon is i can't find any deals around that includes body, kit lens + prime. (or body + 2 useful lenses)

[lowdrag]

I have bought a lot of Nikon gear from these people, one of the top dealers in the USA. these include the 200/400, 105 macro and other lenses. \very highly reputed:-

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1433065-REG...

[ambuletz]

lowdrag said:

I have bought a lot of Nikon gear from these people, one of the top dealers in the USA. these include the 200/400, 105 macro and other lenses. \very highly reputed:-

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1433065-REG...

potentially going to need this by friday. so not sure i'd want to order from there.

[steve2]

Do you want to buy new or would you consider going second hand?

[ambuletz]

steve2 said:

Do you want to buy new or would you consider going second hand?

new.